The Joel on Software Discussion Group (CLOSED)

Is there any relation between the decorations in someone's cube and their personality?  For example, the guy that:

- has nothing in his cube
vs
- has family pictures everywhere
vs
- has just one picture of wife or child
vs
- has everything under the sun in his cube (stuffed animals, star wars figures, clippings of stuff, stickers plastered all over, etc)

What's your personal experience with this?  Any web references to this kind of stuff?  Just a curiosity.

I've sort of seen that the bare cube guy is usually quieter, easier to get along with, dependable, and possibly more trusting.  The more stuff in the cube, the more out spoken, pretentious the person.

Ridiculous assumption, IMO. Bare cubicles can mean these things, and possibly others:

Mind is elsewhere than at work - possibly, the person doesn't care enough to decorate his space and even thinks of himself as a short timer - IE, apathy. This applied to me. I never brought stuff to my permanent workplaces.

Bland personality with no spark. This applied to a small outfit I worked with several years ago. The employees all acted like whipped dogs, so they didn't want to offend the owner and his wife with anything with personally identifying symbols or ideas.

Or, no real interest in bringing their personal effects to work because of a strict work/personal life separation that the individual imposes. This MAY be a good thing, or it may be someone who works to the job.

I do agree that a cubicle that goes nuts with decorations similar to a MySpace page indicates someone who may be unfocused and/or full of themselves.

"Is there any relation between the decorations in someone's cube and their personality?"

Mine has fake cabbage leaves and plastic spiders stapled all over the walls. Am I going to be ok? Help!

The whole cube thing is useful for manipulating others perception of you.

Just another "fit in" device.

My undecorated cubicle states "I hate this job so much that I don't want to decorate my cubicle--I look forward to NOT working here anymore, and don't want to have to shlep all those cubicle decorations home on the subway."

>>My undecorated cubicle states "I hate this job so much that I don't want to decorate my cubicle--I look forward to NOT working here anymore, and don't want to have to shlep all those cubicle decorations home on the subway."<<

LOL. In the cases where I had an undecorated cube, that's what I felt mine said, too.

I can't do a strict work/family seaparation so I have a couple pictures in my cube. Nothing crazy or outlandish, but it serves as a gentle reminder why I'm here on the days where it really sucks, and no matter how good the job, they all have bad days.

Totally sterile cubes disturb me a little because of what's said above. In the majority of cases I've dealt with personally, that's been the basic message.

In addition to totally bare cubes being a bit disturbing, I find a very neat desk to be a sign that somebody isn't getting much work done. Working in a pig sty is just gross, but to have not a single paper out of place, or not having any piles on a desk is just odd to me. Most of the good people I've worked with subsist in some odd state of controlled chaos. A few have a mostly neat workstation with piles on their desk.

But beware the desk with nothing on it or folders and papers immaculately kept in bins and file organizers. These people are nutty.

If you're really cunning you can use your cube to fool people who believe your cube reflects your personality.

Just like con artists (and other salesmen) always wear suits. Beware of people in suits - they're out to get you.

The only cubes you can trust are the ones which make you think "Jeez, he really ought to tidy up his cube".

Everybody else either has a hidden agenda or OCD.

Then there are the people who leave the same decor up for YEARS.  You might imagine what their houses look like.  Really sad actually. 

I used to keep a plant in my cube and an x-ray of the metal plate (with 6 screws) in my leg.  That was a good conversation starter.

My completely undecorated cube is a result of so many moves due to reorgs, remodels, and company growth that I finally got tired of packing and unpacking personal stuff.  It now stays in 2 moving boxes.

I don't have anything in my cube.  I keep planning to bring in a couple of pictures and a plant but haven't yet.  I know that at anytime, anything can happen and I'm gone.  I'd never bring in so much stuff that I couldn't carry it in one trip.

>> bare cube guy is usually quieter, easier to get along with, dependable, and possibly more trusting. <<

Bare cube guy is a veteran...i.e. has been in this insane industry long enough to know how to keep an emotional distance from the workplace.

"More trusting"?  No way.  More like no longer gives a fsck.

>I couldn't carry it in one trip.

My rule as well.

Never more than one or two books at a time from home.

Nothing that I wouldn't be heartbroken if I lost it.

Because there is theft, and from time to time you hear of layoffs where people are locked out of a building and never get their stuff back.

>Nothing that I wouldn't be heartbroken if I lost it.

Just to amplify on this a bit more.

My wife is an artist.  I only bring in prints that she's made, not an original, because I don't want the company keeping it if there's a layoff.

Until Tuesday, I had a lovely office with personal photos, mementos, a painting and 2 prints of wildlife paintings done by a (very talented) family friend - one a duck stamp from Minnesota from a couple of years ago.  This location has been closed.

In my new demi-office I will have none of the above.  Why? The office I'm moving to has a 'no items on the wall' policy.

To elaborate, they also have a neatness police.  If your workspace is not tidy enough, you get a verbal.  If it happens again, you get a written.  I don't know what happens after that.

Personally, I consider it a challenge.

And yes, my resume is up to date :) though that's not too big a deal, I already have outstanding offers.

>The more stuff in the cube, the more out spoken, pretentious the person.

Outspoken = pretentious?

You're going to be a success if/when you get to management ranks.

@schlabnotnik.
Where the hell do you work?  That is some strict shit.

I've heard some relation to things found in a cube/office and someone's DISC traits (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment)  You can use what you find as a hint towards which of the categories they fall into:
D - Certificates, accomplishments, books they've conquered
I - Fishing pictures, golfing paraphernalia, other fun stuff
S - Sweater on the back of the chair, (lots of) pictures of their family
C - Generally spartan, info they look up a lot, references, manuals

I personally have
1. a "wall of praise" which is a tongue-in-cheek listing of a bunch of praise I got via email
2. A picture of Larry Wall with the words Laziness, Impatience, and Hubris under him
3. A folder organizer half full
4. Some miscellaneous wires and gadgetry

@Sanjay

Sorry, can't say.  It's a medium sized office (100 people) and the 'neatness police' (NP) include the Region President.  You would think s/he had more pressing things to do than check out the state of people's workspaces :(

The other story, just as good, is that there was an employee some months back who went to dry his hands on some paper towels in the kitchen after some cleanup.  One of the NP scolded him for not using the community towel, as the paper towels were for 'special guests and visitors'. 

Sure wish that would have been me as I'm not at all interested in 'cleaning' up with somebody else's previously used towel :(

All told, I'm feeling some serious PHB stories coming on.

"Bare cube guy is a veteran...i.e. has been in this insane industry long enough to know how to keep an emotional distance from the workplace."

+10

The people who decorate their cubicles around here tend to be younger to middle age women - and they decorate with stuffed animals, trinkets etc. The others are the newbies.  The rest separate their work and home lives.

My old office WAS decorated (the one I just moved out of).  3 paintings, awards, calendars, etc.

I'm not a young to middle aged woman :)

In the new office (new city), we can't hang things up anywhere.  So, my office will be 100% depersonalized.  The day I leave I will take a SMALL box home with me.

"I'm not a young to middle aged woman :)"

Ok, so you're an old woman or gay. The point is SOME people separate their home and work lives. I don't (my opinion) necessarily want 'work' to feel like 'home.' No need to decorate!